Automobile-light controller.



n. F. BUCKLEW;

AUTOMOBILEUGHT CONTROLLER.

APPUCATlON FILED MAR-16,1917. I

1,275,525. l Patented Au -1s, 1918.

awuewtoz,

ZZZ/717M516! I 4 I I I at 01440,

HOWARD F. IBUCKLEW, OF KINGWOOID, WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMOBILE-LIGHT CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

Application filed March 16, 1917. Serial No. 155,275.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD F. BUcKLnw, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kingwood, in the county of Preston and State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Automobile-Light Controller, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an automobile light controller adapted to be used upon automobiles in connection with a magneto or generator for supplying electrical current for the head lights, and a battery, the controller being operable for connecting the magneto in series with the lamps when the magneto is being driven at a sutiiciently high speed by the engine, and the controller being operable when moved to another position for connecting the magneto to one lamp and the battery to the other lamp when the magneto is not operated at a sufficiently high velocity to supply the lamps in series for lighting them.

Another object of the invention is to provide a light controller of novel and improved construction for. connecting the head lights or lamps in series with the magneto or generator under certain conditions, and for connecting the lamps individually with the magneto and battery under other conditions. With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view of the controller and circuits.

Fig. 2 in a plan view of the controller, with the housing or casing shown in section.

Fig. 3 is edge view of the controller, with the switch arm shown in section.

Fig. 4c is a'sectional detail taken on the line H of Fig. 2.

The controller embodies a slab or base 1 of suitable insulating material, and a housing or casing 2 fitted upon the slab and inclosing the switch and accompanying parts.

Contacts are carriedby the binding posts Y 3 and 6, and embody doubled sheet metal contact plates 16 and 17, respectively, engaged near their bends upon the binding posts or bolts 3 and 6, and having the respective spring terminals 18 and 19 projecting toward the contacts 12 and 13. The contact plates or members 16 and 17 are preferably seated upon pieces of insulation 20 which are in turn seated upon the slab 1, and nuts 21 are threaded upon the binding posts 3 and 6 for clamping the contact plates upon the pieces 20, and for also holding the respective conductors 7 and 10.

The switch embodies a plate or block 22 of suitable insulating material pivoted by means of a bolt 23 upon the slab 1, said plate or block 22 being pivoted between its ends, and having a spring-arm 24 projecting therefrom through an opening 25 in one side of thehousing 2. Said side of the housing is provided with a notch 26 intermediate the ends of the opening 25 into which the arm 24: springs when the switch is in intermediate or neutral position, to thereby hold the switch in this position with all circuits open. The arm 2 1 has a suitable handle 27 at the free end, and the arm can be readily sprung out of the notch 26 for swinging it in either direction. Contact tongues 28 and 29 are secured upon the end portions of the plate 22 by means of rivets 30 engaged through said tongues and plate and also engaging contacts-=31 resting against the under surface of the plate 22-and slidable upon the arcuate contacts 12 and 13, each contact 31 remaining upon one of the arcuate contacts 12- 13 in all positions of switch. When the switch arm 24 is swung upwardly, as seen in Fig.

2, from neutral or intermediate position, the

contact tongues 28 and 29 are moved tightly betweenthe s ring terminals 18 and 19, respectively, wiereas when the arm 24, is swung downwardly, the contact tongue 28 is removed from the contact terminals 18 and the contact tongue 29 is moved between and into engagement with the contact terminals 18, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The conductor 7 is connected to one terminal of one of the lamps 32, which has its other terminal'connected by a conductor 33 with one terminal of the other lamp 3 1, and the other terminal of the lamp 34 is connected to ground, as at 35. The conductor 10 is connected to the conductor 33 between the two lamps or headlights. The conductor 8 is connected to one pole of a suitable battery 36, which has its other pole con.-

" nected to ground, as at 37, while the contively slow, or at a speed not suflicient to energize both lamps in series, the switch arm 24 1s swung to engage the respective contact tongues 28 and 29 with the contact terminals 18 and 19, as seen in Fig. 2 and in full lines inFig. 1. The contacts 31 of the respective tongues 28-and 29 remain in engagement with the arcuate contacts 12 and 13, so that the cont-act tongue 28 is always connected to one pole of the battery 36, while the contact tongue 29 is connected to one terminal of the magneto 38. In this position of the switch, the battery and magneto will be connected with the respective lamps 32 and 34, whereby both lamps will be sufficently lighted temporarily, even though the magneto is driven slowly. Thus, current will flow in the circuit including the magneto 38, conductor 9, binding post 5, conductor 13, contact 15, contact tongue 29, contactplate '17, conductor 10, part of conductor 33, lamp 3i and by way of ground back to the magneto 38. cuit includes the battery 36, conductor 8, binding post fl, conductor 14:, contact 12, contact tongue 28, contact plate 16, conductor 7 lamp 32 and conductor 33, the current from the battery meet-ing the current from the magneto in the conductor 33, and the circuits being completed by way of ground to the battery 36. One lamp is therefore supplied with electrical energy from the magneto and battery, while the other one is supplied from the battery, so that both lamps will be lighted during the relatively slow operation of the magneto although the lamp 34 will be the most brilliant.

The battery cir-' When the magneto is operated at a sufficiently high rate of speed, to supply electrical energy for the lamps in series, for effectively lighting them, the switch is reversed, to bringthe contact tongue 29 into engagement with the contact terminals 18, while the contact tongue 28 is removed from the contact terminals 18, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The circuit of the conductor 10 is therefore opened, while the contact tongue 29 which is connected with the magneto is engaged with the contact plate 16, so as to complete the circuit including the magneto 38, conductor 9, binding post 5, conductor 15, contact 13, contact tongue 29, contact plate 16, conductor 7 lamp 32, conductor 33, lamp 341, and by way of ground back to the magneto 38. The two lamps are therefore connected in series with the magneto, and the circuit of the battery 36 is opened. It is therefore possible, by properly operating the switch, to supply the two lamps with the required electrical energy under the different relative speeds of the magneto, as will be apparent from the foregoing.

Having thus described the invention,

what is claimed as new is r 1. The combination with'a pair of electric lamps connected in series, a generator, a battery, and a controller movable to one position for connecting the generator in series with the lamps, and to another position for connecting the generator in series with only one lamp andthe battery in series with both lamps.

2. The combination of electric lamps connected in series, a contact connected to one terminal of the lamps, a battery and a generator connected to the other terminal of the lamps, a contact connected electrically between the lamps, and a switch having a contact connected with the battery and a contact connected with the generator, the battery and generator contacts of the switch being engageable simultaneously with the first and second mentioned contacts, respectively, to connect the battery and generator with the respective lamps, and the generator contact of the switch being engageable with the first mentioned contact to connect the generator in series with the lamps.

3. The combination of electric lamps'connected in series, a battery and a generator each connected to one terminal of the lamps in series, and a controller embodying a contact connected to the other terminal of the lamps in series, a second contact connected electrically between the lamps, an arcuate battery contact connected with the battery, and arcuate generator contact connected with the generator, and a pivoted switch having battery and generator contacts connected with the respective-arcuate contacts and engageable simultaneously with the first and second mentioned con- In testimony that I claim the foregoing tacts, respectively, for connecting the batas my own, I have hereto affixed my signatery and generator with the lamps, the genture in the presence of two witnesses.

erator contact of the switch being engage- HOWARD F. BUCKLEW. able with the first mentioned contact for Witnesses:

connecting the generator in series with the L. M. ALBRIGHT,

lamps. W. R. LENHART.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

